Conceptual Problems of Understanding the Sociocultural Identity of Civilization

The article analyzes the conceptual apparatus used to characterize the sociocultural identity of a distinctive civilization in modern Russian discourse. A classification of conceptual approaches is provided for defining the sociocultural identity of an original civilization, categorizing them as normative-axiological, activity-based, comprehensive, and civilizational perspectives. The strengths and weaknesses of each approach are critically evaluated. Based on the analysis of a complex of categories utilized to characterize the sociocultural identity of civilization, the author formulates an original approach to the issue. It is established that the sociocultural identity of a specific original civilization can be effectively theoretically reconstructed based on the civilizational approach and the identification of a complex of historically stable invariants. To characterize this complex, the concept of “sociocultural code of civilization” is proposed. The invariants that form the sociocultural code of civilization are integral characteristics that determine the method of social, political and spiritual organization of civilization.